April 19 Express Entry Draw Sees Lowest CRS Requirement Yet at 415

The latest Express Entry draw, which took place on April 19, 2017, has issued 3,665 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for Canadian permanent resident status to candidates in the Express Entry pool with Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores of 415 or above. Marking the lowest CRS requirement yet, this draw brings the total number of ITAs issued since the introduction of the Express Entry system in January, 2015, to over 100,000.

So far in the first four months of 2017, 35,973 ITAs have been issued. This is higher than the total number of ITAs issued during the year of 2016. Candidates who received an ITA in this draw are now in a position to submit an application for Canadian permanent resident status to the federal government. Accompanying family members, including spouses or common-law partners, as well as dependent children, may also come to Canada along with the principal applicant. IRCC aims to process complete submitted applications within six months.

The opening months of 2017 have witnessed a series of decreasing CRS requirements and increasing numbers of ITAs issued. This followed predictions made by IRCC towards the end of 2016 that changes to the Express Entry system and the CRS would result in a greater number of ITAs being issued, and consequently a drop in the CRS score requirement.

CRS Requirement

415

Number of ITAs in latest draw

3,665

ITAs issued in 2017

35,973

In order to be in a position to receive an ITA in an Express Entry draw, individuals are first required to meet the eligibility criteria of one of the three immigration programs managed through the Express Entry system — the Federal Skilled Worker Class (FSWC), Federal Skilled Trades Class (FTSC), or Canadian Experience Class (CEC). Upon entering the pool, candidates are assigned a CRS score based on factors including civil status information, education, work experience, language ability, and other criteria. This score determines their ranking in the pool. During periodic draws, IRCC issues ITAs to the highest-ranking candidates. Those candidates who receive an ITA may submit an application for Canadian permanent resident status.